FAQ

Please note that our London store closed at the end of January 2018. You can still buy real gifts for refugees here at the online store. We are hoping to return soon - watch this space!

What happens when I buy something in the store?

Your purchase (and any Gift Aid contribution) will be used to fund the purchase, transport and distribution of a similar item or service at one of the 80 projects we operate in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Serbia, Turkey and the UK. For example, if you donate £5 for meal ingredients, we can use this to provide fresh fruit, vegetables and dry food for a family in Greece via The Food Project. However, if a lot of people buy the same items in store, we will seek to even things up overall to continue to provide the full range of vital services our projects need. This means some of your donation could be used for a different item or service. Whatever happens, we promise that the full cost of your purchase will be used to fund humanitarian aid for refugees, and reach those they are intended to help within weeks.

How do I know that my purchase has been delivered?

If you opt-in to receive emails from us, we will be in touch with details of how your donation was used and the impact it made. While we do not have the capacity to trace every individual pair of socks to its final destination, we have been delivering aid to refugees, including all the items and services listed in the store, for over two years via our network of trusted partners. Our rigorous, up-to-date needs assessments mean your donations will always go where they’re most needed. Working with minimal overheads, we are part of a new movement of humanitarian aid. In recognition of this work, Help Refugees have been the recipient of multiple awards including the Liberty Jo Cox ‘More in Common’ Award 2016, Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers 2016, and NESTA New Radicals 2016. We have also been named a #goalkeeper2017 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and NME Charity of the Year for 2017. Help Refugees is a restricted fund under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund – UK charity number 1099682.

Do you offer gift cards, so that I can buy an item for a refugee on behalf of someone else?

Yes. After you make your purchase, you'll be sent an email with a special link. From here you can download a gift card which you can print at home. This has a space for you to fill in their name, the item you chose, and a personal message from the team at Help Refugees.

Yes – if you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid can be claimed on purchases in the Choose Love store or donations to Help Refugees. Help Refugees is a restricted fund under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund – UK charity number 1099682. Please follow the prompts during the purchasing process.

Can I donate second hand/collected goods?

Yes, we are accepting some items and are hugely grateful for these, but please don’t bring them to the Choose Love store. If you would like to donate goods, visit the relevant page on our website here for details of what is currently needed and where to take them. But we can’t meet demand with used items alone, and for things like hygiene kits and underwear we will always need to buy new, so your donations or purchases remain very welcome.

Where can I find out more about the refugee crisis?

A great place to start is by looking at our website: www.helprefugees.org. We are also proud to be partnering with Human Flow, the new, critically acclaimed documentary from artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Human Flow unflinchingly documents the global refugee crisis, offering a window into its subjects’ desperate search for safety, shelter and justice.